Denbighshire Leisure offers free family activities

Denbighshire Leisure is giving away over 1,000 free activities for families to get active and have fun this winter. 

Following a successful Summer of Fun, The Winter of Wellbeing started this month across the county, with funding from the Welsh Government, to give the community free tickets to Denbighshire Leisure attractions and leisure sites. 

Over 1,000 free tickets will be available to the public, including free Ninja TAG tickets, tickets to the Sport Zone holiday activities in Ruthin, Denbigh and Rhyl, tickets to play at Nova Adventure Play and SC2 Adventure Play, as well as Soft Play in Llangollen, Ruthin and Rhyl, as well as many more activities being offered, including family swim sessions, free hire of badminton courts for families and Learn2Ride sessions. 

Jamie Groves, Managing Director of Denbighshire Leisure Ltd, said: “January is a difficult month for everyone, especially again this year with Covid-19, so we’re delighted to be giving away thousands of free tickets for children and families to get out this January, be active and have fun, in a safe environment. This funding from the Welsh Government will really help people start the new year in a fun way and keep active at the same time.” 

* For more information please visit: www.denbighshireleisure.co.uk/winterofwellbeing

Councillors 'delighted' as 40mph limit on Horseshoe Pass is approved

* From left, County Councillors Graham Timms, Martyn Holland and Melvyn Mile on the Horseshoe Pass in 2017. 

Llangollen county councillor Graham Timms says he and colleagues are "delighted" that a controversial 40mph speed limit on the Horseshoe Pass has been approved by Denbighshire County Council.

He said: "County councillor Melvyn Mile and I were delighted to receive notification that the proposal for a 40mph speed limit on the Horseshoe Pass has now been approved. 

"We discussed the speed limit with road safety officers, along with Cllr Martyn Holland of Llandegla Ward, back in 2017. Our support for the speed limit has been unanimous."

He added: "The process for introducing a new speed limit is rigorous and has to be supported by evidence.

"The time taken to approve the limit was delayed by a report in Motorcycle News which resulted in many objections from all over England and Wales being received by the council. 

"Denbighshire County Council had to be certain that the limit was justified and that the objections should be over-ruled.

"I spoke to the mother of one of the two young men from Ruabon who tragically died on the Horseshoe Pass in 2012. 

"She told me that the speed limit order was signed the day after the 10th anniversary of the accident and that the speed limit had been promised at the inquest into his death in October 2012. 

"Whilst she has had to wait a very long time for the limit to be approved, she is delighted with the recent decision.

"Whilst the vast majority of drivers 'follow the rules'", we now need to ensure that the North Wales Police support the county in enforcing the speed limit when it starts, hopefully, later this year."

Back in 2017 when the speed limit campaign began Cllr Timms said: “We can’t just sit back any longer whilst road users continue to get injured or killed. Something has to be done to make the area much safer for everyone.

“Over the last two months the air ambulance has visited the pass on two occasions to support seriously injured casualties in accidents on the bends on each side of the summit.” 

Royal Mail blamed for non-delivery of vital public consultation reminder

Royal Mail has been blamed for failing to deliver almost 1,500 postcards reminding every household in the town to have their final say on Llangollen’s People’s Plan.

And the leader of the organisation which has prepared the blueprint for how life and work in the area can be improved over the next four years has therefore decided to extend the deadline for feedback by a further two weeks.

Known as Caru Llangollen, the plan has been prepared by a team of volunteers from Shape My Llangollen (SML), under the auspices of the town council, with the aim of providing a comprehensive vision for the town between now and 2026.

The suggestions in it are based on what the group was told by the people of the area in a series of pre-pandemic public consultation sessions when they were asked about what they liked or didn't like about the town and how they reckon it could be improved.

These consultation sessions generated over 1,700 separate answers.

And, based on what they were told, the volunteers produced the final draft of the plan which contains around 90 proposals for improving Llangollen and its quality of life and work up until the year 2026. 

SML is now in the process of putting the People's Plan back to the people for the last time before producing the final version.

This will then go before the Town Council - which set them the original task in 2018 - for approval and adoption a little later this year.

During the first week of December the group successfully completed their round of face-to-face comment gathering on the plan outside the Town Hall.

Originally the public had until December 31 last year to have their say on Caru Llangollen.

But feedback was so enthusiastic that the group decided to extend the deadline for comments by another month, until January 31, so even more people can take part in the process. 

To ensure as many people as possible could have their say SML asked town clerk Gareth Thomas to arrange for a mail drop of 1,450 specially- printed cards to every household in the town reminding people how to leave their feedback through written or emailed responses. This was at the town council’s expense.  

But yesterday (Monday) he discovered that Royal Mail had failed to send out any of the cards.    

He said: “I agreed with Royal Mail that the delivery would take place over the course of the two weeks commencing January 3, and I arranged for a courier to deliver the cards to the Royal Mail delivery centre in Warrington on December 23.

“I have a note signed by one of the centre’s staff, confirming they had been received.

“I learned yesterday that the cards have not been delivered and have now started the formal non-delivery complaints procedure.

“I will be claiming recompense from Royal Mail for the cost of the exercise, which includes £200 for the contract itself plus the £50 cost of printing the cards and the £80 cost of hiring the courier.”

Phil Robinson, who chairs Shape My Llangollen, said: “We are particularly angry because this is a major setback to the public consultation process and its is impractical to start the delivery exercise again as the cost of doing so, while waiting for recompense from Royal Mail, is beyond the resources of the town council.

“We have therefore decided we have no alternative but the extend the deadline for feedback again, this time until Monday February 14, and I urge as many people as possible to have their say on this extremely important exercise which looks at every aspect of our town’s future.”

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “Our postmen and women work extremely hard to deliver mail to over 31 million addresses across the UK, six days a week, in all weathers. The vast majority of items are securely delivered to customers. We are sorry that this was not achieved on this occasion, and have been in touch with the customer about putting matters right.”  

* To look through the plan online - and turn it over page by page - go to: https://pubhtml5.com/gaql/ahfd

* Send in your comments by emailing the Town Clerk at: townclerk@llangollentowncouncil.gov.uk by January 31.

* Hard copies of the plan are available in Llangollen library as well as online.

VW charge ahead with Golf-sized electric vehicle

Volkswagen ID.3 drive by Steve Rogers

The electric revolution is already well under and we are still eight years from E-Day. Last year one in 10 cars sold in the UK were electric and the E number will be even higher this year with more models hitting the showrooms.

Taking the plunge is a bit scary because there is no point in turning back but what is it like taking off on an electric journey? Let’s see if we can help with a day in the life of an electric car.

The car in question is Volkswagen’s ID.3, think of it as the new Golf because it is roughly the same size, but instead of engines the choice is battery kilowatt outputs, 45,58 or 77, the higher the number the more miles stored in the battery pack – 216, 258 and 340. My car is in the middle so here is a tale of two journeys.

Journey one kicks off at 9.15am and will run to 93 miles. ID.3 has been charged overnight from my Podpoint wall charger so 258 miles is available. Erm, no. The computer is showing a full 100 per cent charge but the range is 209 miles and there is another shock when 24 miles is wiped out when the heating is turned on.

Cold nights during charging has an impact, a slightly less colder night a few days later yielded 222 miles but still short of the claimed 258. Winter is not the best time for an electric car.

Heating the car is a drain on the battery pack too, but, and this is the strange one, using the heated seats and heated steering wheel is not, so I opted for a mix and match giving the car a blast of heat and then relying on the heated seat, all this while the outside temperature is an icy two degrees.

No chance of giving the car a top up at the end point, a crematorium, and I need to get straight home for my wife to visit a friend in Liverpool, an 84 mile round trip. I have used 50 per cent of the battery range (the information in the central touchscreen is brilliantly clear) and with 120 miles left she should make it but do we want to take the risk?

There is no off street parking at her friend’s house and as the nearest charging station is miles away the trip is delayed 80 minutes while the ID.3 gets a 20 mile top up. Not ideal but needs must.

Having driven home sedately, using the regenerative braking setting to recover miles and relying on the heated seat and steering wheel for warmth, the VW had 40 miles to spare so would have made it with the heating blasting away... or would it? It is not the sort of risk you want to take.

What did my wife make of it all? ‘The car is not the problem. The ID.3 is a comfortable, roomy little number, lovely to drive with bang up to date technology and a well thought out minimalist, futuristic dashboard.

‘But there will be times when journeys become stressful even when carefully planned. You should not have to worry about using the car’s heating but what we really need are easy charging facilities and time is running out’.

That was not a typical day for us and in the days that followed we enjoyed normal driving with the heating on! ID.3 is good to drive, gliding comfortably through twists and turns with its rear wheel drive set up and offering decent cabin space thanks to the longer wheelbase on the new platform for the electric range.

Not having to accommodate and engine and everything that goes with it frees up space in the cabin. And boot capacity is not compromised as the batteries are stowed under the back seat.

Performance is brisk and off the line ID.3 will stay with a Golf GTI while top speed is all but 30mph above our national speed limit, doubt that goes down well driving on the German autobahns.

VW reckon the car should achieve 4.2 miles per kilowatt although the best we managed was 3.5m/kw which is still pretty good.

Buyers will need the best part of 40 grand to get this level of ID.3 which sounds horrendous yet is par for the course. VW offers a budget model with a reduced driving range and lower specification for around £30,000 and even that price is daunting for this size of car.

There is nothing to dislike about this or any other electric car, in fact they will probably create slower drivers. The main stumbling block is the charging infrastructure, so many people, like my wife’s friend, cannot charge at their homes and then there is the even bigger problem of safely disposing the batteries.

People will fairly say the Government has put the cart before the horse and in this scenario the cart is already well ahead of the horse. The politicians have eight years to sort it out. Best of luck with that.

Next week: We try something a bit cheaper

Fast Facts

ID.3 Max Pro

£39,500 (£43,185 tested)

Electric motor 200bhp

Battery output 58kWh

Range 258 miles

4.2 miles/kWh

0-62mph 7.3secs; 99mph

Zero emissions

100kW rapid charge 30mins to 180 miles

7.2 kW wall charger 9h 30m

Insurance group 30

Battery warranty 8 years

This week's work planned on 2020 project

Work planned this week on the town's 2020 project is:

* Digging out the existing footpath on Castle Street east from Oak Street to the A5

* Digging out the existing footpath on Market Street south

* Paving on Castle Street east from Oak Street to the A5

* Paving on Market Street south

Chainbridge Hotel goes on the market for £1.8m

Llangollen’s world-famous Chainbridge Hotel (pictured) is up for sale with a price tag of £1.8m.

According to the property website Rightmove, it is on the market with Manchester-based specialist agents Fleurets.

The hotel was built in 1827 and became a popular venue due to its location adjacent to the iconic chain bridge over the River Dee.

The sales description says the detached two and three storey property includes 33 en-suite bedrooms, bar, function room and restaurant.

It also said to have an unsurfaced car park for about 40/50 vehicles with a metal bridge leading down to the hotel plus a surfaced car park at the same level of the hotel for approximately 16 vehicles.

There is also an outdoor seating area providing riverside views along the front elevation.

In October 2012 llanblogger reported how the hotel had recently been bought for £500,000 by Seamus O’Keeffe, then in his early twenties.

He had rescued it from administration where it had been placed following the collapse of Stephanie Booth’s Llangollen Hotels group of which it had been part.

Surrey-born Mr O’Keeffe told llanblogger it would be more of a family business than an investment opportunity as running hotels had been a family affair for him.

After reading history at Leeds University he went initially into public relations with a London agency before taking off in a completely different career direction to help run the George III hotel near Dolgellau with his wife Elizabeth for his parents-in-law.

When The Chainbridge came on the market he said he saw it as an opportunity too good to miss and the family moved up to Llangollen.

Mr O'Keeffe told the Daily Post: "We’re under no pressure to move on, and whenever we do it will be with a heavy heart. 

"It’s a magical place but we think it’s the right time to give somebody else a crack of the whip!

"It’s an absolutely fantastic business, obviously an incredible, unique location, and we’ve had a lot of fun and success building up the hotel over the 10 years we’ve been here.

"We have some other interests we want to try and pursue so it seems the right time for a change.

* Details of the sale of the Chainbridge Hotel can be seen on Rightmove at: https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/118589033

Police boss demands new justice law in wake of Hillsborough

A police boss has made an impassioned plea for a law to prevent miscarriages of justice like those suffered after the Hillsborough disaster.

North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin (pictured) spoke out after the recent screening of the powerful TV drama, Anne, based on the tragedy and its aftermath.

The campaign for a Hillsborough Law has widespread support from the families of the victims, politicians and celebrities.

Mr Dunbobbin says that public authorities like the police should be legally obliged to be proactively honest if anything goes wrong.

At the same time, ordinary people should be provided with a legal body, funded by the taxpayer, to fight their cause in court.

The crusade stems from the tragedy that happened at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in Sheffield on April 15, 1989, when 97 men, women and children died as a result of the crush at the ground.

The four-part ITV docu-drama starred Maxine Peake as Anne Williams, whose 15-year-old son, Kevin, died in the disaster.

 

Mrs Williams dedicated her life to uncovering what happened to the teenager but died in 2013, before the start of the new inquests.

 

The hearings, which concluded in 2016, found the victims were unlawfully killed.

 

But match commander David Duckenfield was cleared of gross negligence manslaughter in 2019.

 

Meanwhile, the trial of two retired police officers and a former South Yorkshire Police solicitor, who were accused of perverting the course of justice, collapsed last year after a judge ruled there was no case to answer.

 

Mr Dunbobbin said: “The TV drama, Anne, was incredibly moving and powerful and served to underline the iniquitous injustice the grieving families have been subjected to for too many years.

“It was also helpful in bringing back to the fore the campaign to secure a new Hillsborough Law so that these injustices are not repeated in the future.

“As things stand, the scales of justice are heavily weighted against ordinary people like the late Anne Williams and the other campaigners who have fought so determinedly for so long.

“It is a national disgrace that they were on the wrong end of lies from senior police officers and an alleged cover up.

“I have written to the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, urging her to set the wheels in motion for a Public Authority Accountability Bill that’s being proposed by long time campaigner Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester.

“Such a  law would mean that no more grieving families would have to suffer the same cruel fate again.

“Securing this long-overdue legislation would be a good way of honouring the memory of all those innocent victims and would go some way towards righting the terrible wrongs we have seen in subsequent decades.”